Bonjour / Hello [nickname_else_first_name]
Table of contents
1) Perashat Hashavoua - Rabbi Eli Mansour
2) Halakhat Hashavoua - David Azerad
3) Holy Jokes!
1)PERASHAT HASHAVOUA
This Week's Parasha Insight with Rabbi Eli Mansour
Parashat Tazria- A Gossiper’s Prayer
Parashat Tazria speaks at length of the laws of the Sara’at skin disease that would descend upon a person as a punishment for Lashon Hara – speaking negatively about other people. A person who was determined to have been stricken with Sara’at was quarantined, and was required to live in solitude outside his city. The Torah writes that as the person made his way from his home to his place of solitary confinement, he would have to announce, "Tameh Tameh!" ("Impure! Impure!" –13:45). On the simple level of interpretation, this announcement was required in order to warn people to keep away from this individual. People were urged not to come near the person stricken with Sara’at so that they would not become Tameh (ritually impure).
The Sages, however, noted an additional reason for this announcement. The Mesora (person stricken with Sara’at) would inform everyone of his condition so that they would pray on his behalf. Essentially, he was saying, "Help me! I have Sara’at! Please pray to God that I will soon be healed!"
The obvious question arises, why doesn’t the Mesora pray for himself? Why must he implore others to pray for him?
The Hafetz Haim (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933) explained, quite simply, that the Mesora’s prayers cannot be accepted. Having contaminated his mouth through sins of speech, by speaking derisively about other people and indulging in gossip, he has lost the power of Tefila. The prayers that come from such a mouth are tainted and damaged; they cannot achieve the desired effect. For this reason, the Mesora has no choice but to ask others to pray on his behalf, until he corrected his sinful tendency and repented, thereby regaining his mouth’s purity which we need for our prayers to gain acceptance.
This is also why we begin the observance of Yom Kippur with the "Kol Nidreh" service, in which we formally annul any vows that we had taken. Before we spend Yom Kippur praying for forgiveness, we must first ensure that we are not guilty of sins involving speech. Otherwise, our prayers are futile. If our mouths bear the stain of forbidden speech, then our prayers are ineffective.
A gossiper not only hurts the people he speaks about; he hurts himself. We all have difficult problems and concerns, we all desperately need the Almighty’s help on so many levels. Nobody can afford to forfeit the power of prayer by contaminating his mouth. Let us ensure to keep our mouths free of sin, so that our prayers will have the desired effect and proceed directly to the heavens, where they will be lovingly and eagerly accepted by God.
2) HALAKHAT HASHAVOUA
Selected & translated by David Azerad, Hazzan Maghen Abraham
Halachot Shabbat according to Maran Rabbi Obadiah Yosef Zt”l
What is the fourth meal, Seudah Reviit /Melave Malkah and is it obligatory to have?
One should always arrange his table on Motzaie Shabbat in a dignified manner, to accompany the Shabbat Queen, even if he is going to have just a small bite to eat {a minimum measurement of Kazayit (olive) -29 Grams of Bread}. And this meal is obligatory to the opinion of most of the Poskim in Halacha.
It is brought down in the Holy Zohar: "He who does not have a fourth meal (Seudah Reviit), It is as if he did not have Seudah Shelisheet (the third meal)." And Maran Hachida,Rabbi David Yosef Azouly wrote that Seudah Reviit can protect you .The proper way to have the Seudah is with your Shabbat clothes still on you as a show of respect. It is also strongly recommended to have bread. If you don’t want to have bread you should have at least cake or a fruit, because this Seudah gives you a Beracha for the meals of the upcoming week.
Women also have the obligation like the man to have Seudah Reviit, and they should say that they are eating for the Mitzvah of Melave Malkah (accompanying the Shabbat Queen). Seudah Reviit is also a Segulah (a Beracha) for women who have to give birth to have an easy delivery.
Until when can you eat the fourth meal-Seudah Reviit?
It is preferable to eat a fourth meal early, so that it is noticeable that we are accompanying the Sabbath Queen. It is Better to have the meal before Chatzot (midnight according to Jewish calendar and time), and if he has not eaten until then, even if he has gone to sleep, he should try to get up and eat and he has until dawn.
Bevirkat Shabbat Shalom Umevorach
David Azerad
3) HOLY JoKeS!!
Selection of funny snippets, loosely related to this weeks parashah, to brighten your day
